By Devina Halim
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AA) - The Philippines on Friday extended its ban on travelers from India and nine other countries until Aug. 15 to curb the spread of Delta variant, the highly contagious strain of coronavirus.
Besides India, the travel restrictions, initially valid till July 31, apply on travelers from Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
In a statement, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the recommendation of the country's anti-virus task force.
More than 1.57 million COVID-19 cases, including 216 of the Delta variant, and 27,577 related deaths have been recorded thus far in the Southeast Asian country.
At least 7.27 million or 6.66% of the country's 109 million people are fully vaccinated.
Manila has secured 164 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines either through purchases, bilateral donations, or the WHO-led COVAX Facility. It has received 28.4 million doses as of July 21.
*Writing by Rhany Chairunissa Rufinaldo